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New otter debuts at WNC Nature Center

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11th March 2010

The Citizen-Times, Asheville, North Carolina , USA

The WNC Nature Center's resident river otter welcomed her new yet-to-be-named male companion this week, 14 months after losing her last mate, Oscar, to a stomach blockage.

“We're happy to see that Olive has a friend again,” said Valerie Holbert, a Swannanoa resident and frequent visitor to the Nature Center.

Like many newlyweds, Olive and her new mate were getting used to living together on Wednesday, the second full day the otters spent together in the same habitat.

There were a few squabbles and chattering as the new 1-year-old otter tried to come close to 5-year-old Olive, but for the most part the pair got along as they sunned themselves on rocks and swam in the water.

“They're just working things out,” said animal curator Allison Ballentine.

The Nature Center started looking for a new male otter after Oscar died unexpectedly in December 2008. They put the word out that Olive was looking for a mate and were matched with an otter born at the Pittsburgh Zoo.

The new otter arrived in Asheville at the end of January on permanent loan from Pittsburgh and spent a month in quarantine.

Ballentine said it was really up in the air whether Olive and the new otter would have a good relationship, but it was a promising sign that the otters weren't aggressive when they met through a “howdy” door that allowed them to see, hear and smell each other.

“River otters are known to be picky about who they associate with so we were taking a gamble,” Ballentine said. “(Tuesday) we let them out together, and they did really well. The first few hours are very critical, and they made it through that, and I feel that it can only get better.”

The Nature Center hopes the otters breed naturally, although that may not be happening any time soon. The male otter still has another year before he reaches sexual maturity, and there is a delay before the fertilized egg implants in the uterus. Olive and Oscar mated, but never produced any offspring.

In the meantime, the Nature Center plans to hold a naming contest for the new otter and expand the otter habitat, one of the most popular exhibits.

“They are just such engaging animals,” Ballentine said. “Having two otters is better for the visitors, and it enhances their (the otters) lives.”

Bridget Day and her sons, 2-year-old Sam and 9-month-old Charlie, were excited to see another otter swimming and playing with Olive on Wednesday morning. The Days visit the Nature Center a couple of times a week.

“We're excited that there's finally another one,” Bridget Day said. “We've been waiting on him.”

More about otters

• Olive the otter was born on the coast of North Carolina. She was hand-raised after being orphaned.
• The new otter is the bigger of the two otters and has a mark on his head where his fur was shaved.
• A typical adult otter weighs 11-23 pounds and can measure 3-4 feet in length.
• River otters live as long as nine years in the wild. They can live up to 21 years in captivity.
• A female otter gives birth to up to four pups in early spring.
• They can be found in a variety of freshwater habitats, including local rivers, and make their homes in burrows near the water's edge.
• River otters swim by propelling themselves with their tails and long bodies. Webbed feet, water-repellent fur, and nostrils and ears that close in water also make them good swimmers.
• Otters can hold their breath underwater for about eight minutes.
• Wild otters feed on fish, snakes, turtles, frogs, crayfish and other fish. The Nature Center otters are fed a commercially prepared zoo diet that is supplemented with beef heart once a week.

The stomach blockage was due to a flipping of the stomach, which in turn caused the blockage which then caused a tear in the lining of the stomach. This happens commonly in large dogs and unfortunately, in some very active animals. There was nothing but food shown in the xrays or found in the necropsy. There is nothing the Center could have done to foresee or prevent this.